


First Meetings

by Spiro



Series: Snapshots [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 17:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15272202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiro/pseuds/Spiro
Summary: Newt really wanted his first time meeting Hermann to go well, partially because they had been pen-pals for years but also because he maybe had a huge crush on the guy.My version of the disastrous meeting between Hermann and Newt.Based off of this prompt: “I am fully convinced you never graduated kindergarten.”





	First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> A huge thank you to my beta: [ProblematicPitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblematicPitch/pseuds/ProblematicPitch)
> 
> Prompt from: [Link](http://zombie-snape.tumblr.com/post/175836388322/dialogue-prompts-that-really-butter-my-eggroll)

Newton Geiszler was practically vibrating with excitement and nervousness as he waited not-so-patiently at the hotel’s bar. He leaned up against the counter, chewing on the straw of his Long Island Iced Tea. He was just seconds away from meeting his long time pen-pal -slash- guy he definitely  _ didn’t  _ have a major crush on: Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. 

 

He and Hermann had been writing letters back and forth for years— ever since the first kaiju attacks. A few months earlier, Newt casually mentioned that he would be in Hermann’s neck of the woods, the LA Shatterdome—which Hermann had been assigned to after his training at the Lima Shatterdome. Newt had always been a little jealous that Hermann got stationed in sunny Los Angeles while Newt was stuck up in the freezing Anchorage Shatterdome.

 

Newton had been sent to LA to swap kaiju biology notes with some professors at UCLA. Not that they would know anything more than he did; he was the world’s leading expert in kaiju biology. But whatever, it gave him an excuse to finally meet Hermann in person. 

 

They’d agreed to meet in Newt’s hotel at 7 pm. It was already 7:50 and Newt was starting to sweat, like, an uncomfortable amount. He cringed and wiped his damp palms on his jeans self-consciously. He didn’t know much about first dates, but he was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to greet the guy with a handshake slimier than a lab specimen. If this even  _ was  _ a first date. Was it a first date? Should he have worn something nicer? He gave himself a little shake. There wasn’t time now to change. 

 

Newt had definitely Googled Hermann more than once over the years. Despite having a kind-of-famous father, there weren’t many pictures of Hermann online. No social media accounts. Newton had desperately tried to convince Hermann to get a Snapchat so they could snap back and forth, but Hermann adamantly refused. Most photos of Hermann were of him in the background of pictures of other people, blurry and out of focus, like he had been caught unawares by the photographer. Or, he would hide in the back of a large group of fellow scientists, practically making himself invisible. Maybe he was camera shy? 

 

Newt certainly wasn’t. He had a rockin’ Instagram where he posted pictures of his newest tattoos, dumb selfies, science memes, and the occasional video of himself singing and playing one of his many instruments. He didn’t get to post as often anymore, constantly busy with his research. He’d had to make a lot of sacrifices since the kaiju attack, just like everyone else in the world. The point was, Newt was pretty sure Hermann knew what he looked like, even if Newt wasn’t so sure what Hermann looked like. 

 

Newt checked his watch again. 7:55. He chewed a little harder on his straw. He  _ really  _ wanted this meeting to go well. He felt a bit nauseous. Did he need to pee? Did he have time to pee?  

 

He was pulled out of his panicked pee-related reverie when he heard someone ask the maître d’: l“I’m looking for a Dr. Newton Geiszler?”

 

Newton whipped his head around to see the maître d’ pointing him out. Newton couldn’t help staring. It was  _ him.  _ It was Hermann Gottlieb. Newt couldn’t believe that he was finally seeing him after years of only talking through letters. He felt paralyzed, stuck under a spotlight, like during his fifth-grade music recital when he stepped up to the microphone and couldn’t produce a single note. And his long-distance friend and long term pen-pal was watching him intently now, waiting for him to speak. Their eyes locked. 

 

Oh fuck, Newton thought, he’s  _ hot.  _

 

Perhaps Hermann Gottlieb wouldn’t be considered conventionally hot, but with his sharp cheekbones, pale skin, and shiny dark hair, Newton was definitely feeling a little hot under the collar. He blushed a little, giving his best approximation of a suave smile, and waved the doctor over. 

 

“Dr. Geiszler?” Hermann asked as he stopped in front of Newton.

 

“Hey man, just call me Newt. Only my mom calls me Doctor,” Newton grinned.

 

Hermann looked a bit taken aback. “Well, then, you may call me Hermann.”

 

“Great!” Newt was already planning on doing that, but being given permission was nice—super weirdly formal, but nice. So far this was not going terrible! 

 

But then the oh-so-smart Dr. Geiszler had to go and run his big, dumb mouth.

 

“Y’know, there’s not many pictures of you online–” he really (really  _ really) _ should have stopped talking right then— “so I had no idea you dressed like an old British grandma.” 

 

Newton wasn’t sure why he’d said it. His brain and his mouth had never been friends. He actually thought the way Hermann dressed was rather cute, in like a frumpy hipster kind of way. Hermann, however, did not see it as a compliment. Angry splotches of red appeared on his cheeks and he seemed to swell with indignination. 

 

“Well, most  _ adults _ no longer feel the need to wear ridiculous costumes every day.” Hermann said acridly, and gave him a long once-over, appraising Newt’s skinny tie, black skinny jeans, and dark green Doc Martens. “Some of us prefer to dress like  _ professionals _ .”

 

“Hey man, no need to be a dick.” Newt said defensively. He took a breathe and plastered on what he hoped was a charming smile in the hopes of saving this absolute disaster of a conversation. “Besides, the way I dress didn’t get in the way of me becoming a doctor, right?” He tried to joke. 

 

Hermann scoffed, “I am fully convinced you never graduated kindergarten.”

 

Well, that was just mean. 

 

“You know damn well that I have six doctorates.”

 

Hermann let out a cruel chuckle. “I always assumed you were just compensating for something. Really, six doctorates? That’s ludicrous.” 

 

Newt gasped. He felt angry tension rise in his body. He fidgeted with his glasses, an unconscious gesture that usually calmed him, but his hands shook with suppressed raged “I’m sorry, but are you implying that I HAVE A SMALL PENIS?” The last bit came out as a shriek of outrage. 

 

The whole bar was staring. But Newt didn’t give a shit because it turned out that Hermann Gottlieb was an asshole. 

 

“Dr. Geiszler, please. You’re making a scene.” Hermann snapped.

 

“You know who’s making a fucking scene? You’re making a fucking scene.” Newton was usually a pretty chill guy. It took a lot to make him angry. This was the angriest he’d been in  _ years _ . 

 

“Well. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, ‘Newt’,” Hermann said sarcastically as he turned on his heel and stomped out of the bar. 

 

“Yeah, it’s been a real fucking pleasure to meet you too, Hermann.” Newton called after Hermann’s retreating figure. He turned back to the bar, struggling to calm his rapid heartbeat and slow down his breathing. “Hey, can I get, like, three shots of vodka?” The bartender gave him a sympathetic look and filled up three shots to the brim. Newt downed them one after the other, wincing at the burn. 

 

Well, that certainly could have gone better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it please leave a kudo and a comment!


End file.
